Tahj Eddington, a Pawtucket, Rhode Island resident, used to drive Uber riders at night in his Honda Civic as a side hustle. One night in August of 2023, he suffered a violent seizure while driving, and crashed into a business’s garage door.

Body cameras on the policemen who arrived at the scene captured officers aggressively approaching Eddington. Footage showed officers speaking with the passenger, who described Eddington’s emergency: his arms went stiff while outstretched, and he began to shake right before he crashed.

“Oh, okay, so he had a seizure,” said the officer, quoted by WPRI. After acknowledging the source of the crash, officers were recorded forcing Eddington to the ground.

Officers drove Eddington to the hospital, though footage showed him falling out of the police cruiser and onto the concrete. The fall resulted in a broken bone and cuts on his face.

Now Eddington will see the officers in court

Eddington, having fully recovered, is seeking $12 million in damages from the City of Providence. His complaint alleges instead of calling an ambulance, officers “violently attempted to place the plaintiff into handcuffs and take him into custody.”

Two days after the incident, Eddington recalls a phone call from Police Col. Oscar Perez who said the “release of the recordings could be embarrassing” for him, court documents allege.

“While the defendants were attempting to get handcuffs on the plaintiff, he was screaming ‘I can’t breathe. Get off of me. Get off, I can’t breathe. Stop you are killing me. Stop I am gonna die. Help me. Stop. Let me go,’” documents from the suit read.

The two misdemeanor charges were dropped from his record following the incident, too. Community leaders called for the footage to be released anyway, which generated substantial news coverage.

The police weren’t punished, either

Despite the national attention, the only discipline to follow was for an officer who was captured swearing on camera. This, Eddington said, shows a “gross failure to train its police officers.” The department’s police chief said all officers involved followed force protocols.

“Defendant City of Providence and Defendant Colonel Perez ratified the behavior of the Defendant Officers by failing to discipline them and by engaging in a policy of charging persons experiencing a medical emergency,” reads Eddington’s complaint.

No mercy was shown to the police officers

Viewers of the outlet’s YouTube video were shocked by the audacity of the officers and the department heads for defending them. However, they weren’t necessarily shocked.

“They knew he had a seizure and still treated him like this,” wrote a viewer. “They are evil soulless monsters.”

Someone else was shocked they proceeded with an arrest after the rider confirmed the driver’s seizure.

“Wait, what? They were told he had a seizure yet they arrested him? What the eff is wrong with these people,” said another.

Another said it wasn’t improper training that made this incident shocking.

“It’s not the training. It’s incompetence without reprecussions,” they said.